Shower head



Nov. 15, 1966 c. A. COAKLEY 3,285,521

SHOWER HEAD Filed Oct. 23, 1964 IN VEN TOR.

C/auoeA. Coak/eg B You/ 9 (5% Thompson ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,285,521 SHOWER HEAD Claude A..Cakley, 1515 S. Utica Ave., Tulsa, Okla. Filed Oct. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 406,126 6 Claims. (Cl. 239-318) The present invention relates to shower heads, more particularly of the type designed to introduce into the shower spray an extraneous fluid such as oil or soap.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a shower head having means for introducing an extraneous fluid into the shower spray.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a shower head adapted to mix fluids, which is adjustable in all directions.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a shower head having means for mixing plural fluids, in which there is no possibility of back pressure being applied by one fluid to the other.

Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a shower head which will be relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install, adjust, maintain and repair, and rugged and durable in use.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of'a shower head assembly according to the present invention, with parts broken away for clarity;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary enlarged cross-sectional view of a shower head according to the present invention, adjacent the spray head thereof; and

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 but showing the position of the parts in FIGURE 2 in phantom line and an adjusted position of the parts in full line.

In broad outline, there is shown in the drawing a shower head according to the present invention, indicated generally at 1, in the form of a bathroom shower, and comprising a rigid water conduit 3 in the usual form of a tube that extends forwardly and diagonally downwardly from a wall or other support (not shown). A spray head 5 is carried on the discharge end of the water conduit and is universally adjustable. A water passageway 7 extends all the way through conduit 3 and spray head 5.

In greater detail, water conduit 3 terminates at its forward lower end or discharge end in a hollow ball 9 in the form of a fitting removably secured to the discharge end of conduit 3. A socket 11 on spray head 5 is complementary to ball 9 and encompasses ball 9 thereby to permit universal relative movement between spray head 5 and conduit 3.

Spray head 5 is generally hollow and is defined by generally bell-shaped outer side walls 13 and is partially closed at its lower or outlet end by a perforated annular plate 15 which has a multiplicity of spray orifices 17 therethrough. An integral spider 19 is cast adjacent the upper end of spray head 5 and supports the upper end of a tube 21 which is axially centered in spray head 5. The lower end of tube 21 is centered in and supported by perforated plate 15. In this way, side walls 13 and tube 21 define the outer and inner lateral boundaries, respectively, and perforated plate 15 and spider 19 define the lower and upper axial boundaries, respectively, of an annular chamber 23. Chamber 23 communicates with a chamber 25 at the upper end of spray head 5 through a plurality of openings 27 through spider 19.

A flexible conduit 29 of an elastomer, such as rubber or flexible plastic or the like, is disposed in shower head 1 and extends between water conduit 3 and spray head.5. The external diameter of flexible conduit 29 is substan- 3,285,521 Patented Nov. 15, 1966 tially smaller than the internal diameter of water passageway 7, and flexible conduit 29 tends to be centrally or axially disposed within passageway 7. Specifically, the discharge end 31 of flexible conduit 29 extends down a substantial distance into tube 21 but terminates a substantial distance short of the discharge end of tube 21. As tube 21 defines a portion of water passageway 7, the external diameter of flexible conduit 29 is substantially smaller than the internal diameter of tube 21. Preferably, discharge end 31 of flexible conduit 29 is disposed substantially closer to the downstream or discharge end of tube 21 than it is to the upstream or inlet end of tube 21.

The upstream end 33 of flexible conduit 29 is'disposed in water conduit 3 adjacent the discharge end thereof. A rigid conduit 35 is also disposed concentrically within water conduit 3, and the upstream end 33 of flexible conduit 29 is secured to the discharge end 37 of rigid conduit 35. In this way, a continuous passageway is provided by the interior of rigid conduit 35 and flexible conduit 29; and this continuous passageway is disposed within and substantially concentric with but separate from water passageway 7 except adjacent the discharge end of tube 21, where the streams flowing in these respective passageways can merge.

Rigid conduit 35 communicates with a reservoir 39 in which the oil or liquid soap or other fluid may be stored. An aspirating tube 41 dips down toward the bottom of reservoir 39, and a valve 43-selectively establishes and breaks communication between the upstream end of rigid conduit 35 and the upper end of aspirating tube 41. A vent 45 in the top of reservoir 39 permits the pressure within the reservoir to remain substantially atmospheric. Of course, the discharge end 31 of flexible conduit 29 is preferably maintained above the level of liquid in reservoir 39, so as to prevent the draining of the reservoir by a siphon effect.

Instead, it is the venturi eflect of the liquid in tube 21, rushing past the discharge end 31 of flexible conduit 29, that aspirates or draws liquid from reservoir 39 when the ,device is in operation. At that time, it will be appreciated that water rushes through passageway 7, through ball 9 and into chamber 26, whence it divides. A portion of the water passes through openings 27 into annular chamber 23 and thence through spray orifices 17, whereupon it forms the shower spray. Another portion of the water in passageway 7, however, passes through the central annular passageway provided between the outer periphery of flexible conduit 29 and the inner periphery of tube 21. This latter stream of water rushes past discharge opening 31 and aspirates the further fluid from reservoir 39 so long as the Water is running and valve 43 is open. When the water is running and valve 43 is closed, then of course there is no further addition of the second fluid to the water of the shower. On the other hand, when valve 43 is open and the water is turned off so that it does not pass through passageway 7, then there is no siphon efiect to give a continued flow of second-fluid through conduits 35 and 29, so that flow through that conduit ceases. In other words, only when the water is on can the auxiliary fluid be fed.

It will therefore be appreciated that the spray head 5 can be adjusted about ball 9 to any desired position, and that the flexible conduit 29 will accommodate this adjustive movement. But more particularly, it will be appreciated that in any of those adjusted positions of spray head 5, the water racing through tube 21 will tend to center flexible conduit 29 in tube 21, thereby maintaining the discharge end 31 of flexible conduit 29 in the best position for aspiration of fluid from reservoir 39.

It will also be appreciated that even should the orifices 17 become so plugged that water cannot get through them, there will be no back pressure on the supply line for the second, fluid. Thus, water cannot be forced back i into reservoir 39 upon plugging of the sprays, as tube 21 will remain open and the sec-nd liquid will continue to .be aspirated through flexible conduit 29 even iforifices 17 are closed.

From a consideration of the foregoing disclosure, therefore, it will be evident that all of the initially recited objects of the present invention have been achieved.

Although the present invention has been described and illustrated in connection with preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention, as those skilled in this art will readily understand. Such modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A shower head comprising a water conduit, a spray vhead mounted for lateral swinging movement on the conduit, the water conduit and the spray head defining a continuous Water passageway therethrough, and a flexible conduit extending through the Water conduit and through the joint between said water conduit and said spray head and terminating within said spray head, the flexible conduit being disposed in said passageway and having an outside diameter substantially smaller than the inside diameter of said passageway.

2. A shower head as claimed in claim 1, and a rigid conduit disposed concentrically within said water conduit, the flexible'conduit being mounted on the downstream end of the rigid conduit.

3. A shower head as claimed in claim 1, and means for supplying a fluid to the'fiexible conduit whereby said fluid is aspirated by water flowing through said passageway for admixture with said'water.

4. A shower head as claimed in claim 1, the spray head having a central tube in which the discharge end of said flexible conduit is disposed and an annular chamber surmounding said tube, said chamber communicating with said pasageway and havinga multiplicity of spray discharge orifices.

5. A shower head as claimed in claim 4, said discharge end of the flexible conduit being disposed a substantial disjtance upstream of the discharge end of said central tu e.

6. A shower head as claimed in claim 1, said spray head being mounted for universal swinging movement on said first-named conduit.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS M. HENSON WOOD, JR., Primary Examiner. R. s. STROBEL, Examiner. 

1. A SHOWER HEAD COMPRISING A WATER CONDUIT, A SPRAY HEAD MOUNTED FOR LATERAL SWINGING MOVEMENT ON THE CONDUIT, THE WATER CONDUIT AND THE SPRAY HEAD DEFINING A CONTINUOUS WATER PASSAGEWAY THERETHROUGH, AND A FLEXIBLE CONDUIT EXTENDING THROUGH THE WATER CONDUIT AND THROUGH THE JOINT BETWEEN SAID WATER CONDUIT AND SAID SPRAY HEAD AND TERMINATING WITHIN SAID SPRAY HEAD, THE FLEXIBLE CONDUIT BEING DISPOSED IN SAID PASSAGEWAY AND HAVING AN OUTSIDE DIAMETER SUBSTANTIALLY SAMLLER THAN THE INSIDE DIAMETER OF SAID PASSAGEWAY. 